Yu-Gi-Oh! NEO Arc-V
by Mysterious Hero
Summary: Yuuto Hashimoto aspires to become a somebody in Maiami City, the new dueling capital of the world, like his parents and sister has achieved. However, in the depths of the peaceful city is a man seeking to revolutionise the world.
1. Prologue

_**AN: Hello everyone! As you can guess I have given up on Yu-Gi-Oh ZEXAL Chaotic because of writers block and some mistakes I made in early Chapters that I will try to avoid in this fic. Here's the disclaimer:**_

_**I don't own DM, GX, 5Ds, ZEXAL or Arc-V. All custom cards by me will be bolded.**_

_***Ahem* Without further ado, let's begin!**_

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

The fog thickened its hold over the looming night. The rain pounded against the gravel. The thunder roared across Miami City, a metropolis city only rivalled by Neo Domino and Heartland. It somehow maintained its tranquillity even in the depths of calamity. Until now.

A figure gracefully walked across the pavements, while the wind swept against his unyielding black fedora hat. The man's attire consisted of a black trench coat over a white shirt, black trousers and shoes. He additionally wore a white mask that covered everything besides his eyes and mouth. The man tightly held onto a leash, which was connected to another weeping figure that followed him from behind

Eventually they stopped at an isolated skyscraper. It was one of the five headquarters of V-Reality Corporations, a global business responsible for the design of the new Virtual Reality dueling software, the V-Reality. It was rumoured that the V-Reality will be more advanced than even Action Duels! However, the software was exclusive to only a minority of the world's population as beta testers due to the fact that V-Reality Corporations were anxious about hidden bugs and viruses in the program. If they screwed up badly at this rate, only a few thousand at most would suffer.

The figures advanced.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Gustav Schmidt, a blonde-haired and blue-eyed middle aged man in a white labcoat, felt proud for the progress he made today. His computer programming skills are improving rapidly. If he keeps up the hard work for a season or two, he might get promoted to the position of lead programmer. A promotion was something that Gustav wanted more than anything because he strongly disliked the current lead programmer, Kenji Yamada, and it would be fabulous to boss him around.

Suddenly, the door cracked open and a clad of footsteps echoed behind him. Gustav turned around from the supercomputer to see two mysterious figures. "What a pleasant surprise," the figure in front said, maintaining a somewhat sophisticated and calm demeanour. "I am here to… tweak the data stored in the V-Reality. I suggest you don't interfere, or you'll become my first victim," the figure then dropped the leash it was holding and a duel disk magically materialised onto its left arm. The second figure bolted towards the supercomputer.

"Get lost ya punks! Scram!" Gustav shouted. He attempted to intercept the second figure, but he was snared by the anchor projected by the first figure. He was forced to duel the enemy. "Alright punks! I wasn't gonna do this, but I guess ya must take a beatin' our way," he said blandly upon equipping a duel disk to his right arm and activating it. "V-Reality activate!" he shouted upon pressing a button embedded on top of his duel disk. The opponent mimicked Gustav.

A white circular seal appeared underneath both Gustav and the opponent. Their duel disks began to glow brighter.

"_Initiating connection via the V-Reality!"_ a female voice said from both duel disks.

"Duel!" they shouted in unison as a bright light covered everything outside the two circles, including the second figure. Within ten seconds, the background dimmered and eventually became completely black and empty. This was due to the fact that the V-Reality was still in its beta phase – VRC haven't divulged anywhere into the aesthetics yet. The holographic board that showed their V-Avatars did however spawn adjacent to the zone they were dueling in.

**Temperance Knight:**** 4000 (Life Points) **

**_: 4000 (Life Points)**

Gustav was shocked upon seeing the username of his opponent. An underscore. As an employee of V-Reality Corporations, he knew the V-Avatar username of every single Duelist that tests the V-Reality system. And even then, every username had to be approved of by V-Reality Corporations. Therefore, Gustav knew that it was impossible for anyone to legitimately have a username like that.

"This is a joke!" Gustav shouted.

The opponent didn't respond.

"Ya don't talk much, punk!" Gustav remarked. He scanned his hand in hope of a good combo that could give him the edge on this duel. "I better start then… I Normal Summon my Maraudin' Captain in Attack Position!" he slammed a card fiercly onto his duel disk. A blonde-haired and battled scarred man emerged onto the field, plated with turquoise armour. He drew his two blades and gave the opponent death stares (**1200**/400)(Level 3). "The effect of my Maraudin' Captain allows for me to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from my hand! Appear, Tune Warrior!" Gustav sharply slammed another card onto his duel disk. A white hole formed and a man in a red armoured space suit emerged onto the field (**1600**/200)(Level 3). "So, whaddaya think of this!"

The opponent didn't respond.

"Fine then! I will tune my Level 3 Tune Warrior with my Level 3 Marauding Captain! Synchro Summon…" Gustav declared with a sudden pause. He clenched fiercely only his Extra Deck as he saw the knight dissipate into rings and form around the space fighter. "Oh legendary rider! Show this punk that you aren't going down without a fight! Appear! Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!" A blue and red armoured horse galloped onto the field. Its rider, a shady figure in blue and gold armour, tightly held onto the two red lances it wielded (**2600**/800)(Level 6).

"Well, well, well, a first turn Synchro Summon," the opponent commented. "We don't see it every day in a declining world like ours,"

"Flattery will get you nowhere,"

"That wasn't supposed to be a compliment,"

Gustav then grunted. He immediately proceeded to set a card on the Spell &amp; Trap Card Zone. "I end my turn," he said weakly.

"I draw," the opponent said as he drew his sixth card and analysed his hand. Suddenly, he received a message from his duel disk.

"S_ir, __I have installed the virus into the system,"_

"Excellent work," the opponent praised the other person with a grin. His crimson eyes glared at Gustav. "Prepare yourself for a world of pain,"

…

…

An elderly man waddled peacefully like a penguin through the corridors of V-Reality Corporations, with his hands firmly placed behind his back. His eyes were hazel and his eyebrows were bushy grey, similar to his Einstein-like hair. He was Kenji Yamada.

Kenji froze when he turned across the corner at the end of the main corridor, which contains the corridor that leads to the room that contains the supercomputer in the basement. What astonished him were the two unconscious security guards. Hastily, Kenji bolted down the stairs and glued his eyes to the keyhole.

"Level 9 **Lunaris Kage** and **Lunaris Sage**, Overlay! With these 2 monsters I build the Overlay Network!"

Kenji's eyes widened. A duel was commencing.

"Roar through even the depths of the abyss! Let even the universe shatter with every step you take! Manifest yourself, **Lunaris Nebula Dragon**!"

…

…

Gustav grimaced upon noticing the enemy's assault ceased. He unsteadily got up from his staggered state, and glared sickly at his decreasing Life Point meter.

**Temperance Knight:**** 3600 **→ **1000 (Life Points)**

**_: 4000 (Life Points)**

He was even more shocked that he felt pain upon losing Life Points. That has never happened before. "W-what di-di-did y-y-you d-do?" Gustav asked. He would've cursed at the enemy, but his utter astonishment and wound made him incapable of releasing emotions besides awe.

The Opponent didn't respond. He only setted a card and signalled the end of his turn.

"Tch," Gustav clicked. He quickly manned up and recovered. "DRAW!" he roared. He smirked upon glancing at the newly drawn card. _'Alright. There's only one card that can beat him and I think I can pull of off,' _he thought. "I activate the Spell Card, Reinforcement of the Army. This card allows for me to add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from my Deck to my hand. I will select my Trident Warrior," he smirked. The card glided out of his duel disk and stopped at the tip of his two fingers. His duel disk then auto shuffled his Deck. Gustav paused dramatically for his next counterattack.

Not that the opponent looked wary. The hooded figure remained stoic, even when against colossal threats.

"Now then. I will Normal Summon my Trident Warrior in Attack Position," An warrior in blue armour emerged wielded an trident in an aggressive manner (**1800**/1200)(Level 4). "The effect of Trident Warrior allows for me to Special Summon 1 Level 3 monster from my hand! Appear, Shine Knight!" Gustav rapidly slammed down another card with barely any time to pause. A white-capped knight with silver armour and a shimmering lance materialised onto the field in a crouched stance (400/**1900**)(Level 3→4). "I activate the Spell Card, Lightwave Tunin'. This card allows for me to treat 1 Level 4 or lower LIGHT monsters as a Tuner. I pick my Shine Knight,"

"You should give up and relieve yourself from the pain," the opponent advised. "Only a fool would continue to fight in a hopeless battle when he has the option to give up and stay safe,"

"Nonsense! I will tune my Level 4 Shine Knight with my Level 4 Trident Warrior! Synchro Summon…" Gustav declared. "Oh titan of darkness, lend me your indomitable strength! Crush all who stand in _my_ way! Appear! Colossal Fighter!"

The opponent merely glanced at the bulky warrior in a spacesuit unimpressed (**2800**/1000)(Level 8). "That's all you've got?" the opponent asked Gustav, clearly not impressed.

"Colossal Fighter gains 100 ATK for every Warrior-Type monster in my Graveyard!" Gustav beamed as the green aura formed around his monster. "I count 5, so it looks like he gains 500 ATK," he informed (**2800**→**3300**/1000). "That's enough to slay your mysterious dragon. Colossal Fighter, attack that… thing,"

"You fool. I activate my face-down, Dimensional Prison," the opponent countered by pressing a button on his duel disk, revealing the card. Gustav's heart sank upon seeing the card. The gigantic bulky spacefighter charged towards the dragon, but was intercepted by the purple wormhole. "Whenever your monster attacks, this card targets the attacking monster and banishes it,"

"No," Gustav's voice croaked upon seeing his ace engulfed by the wormhole. "I-I don't wanna play this game no more," he tried to disconnect his duel disk, but the electricity generated by the duel disk surged through his body. He screamed in pain.

"Sorry, but _you_ weren't incline to give up when _you_ were planning _your _failure of a counterattack," the opponent commented with emphasis.

Gustav shivered. "No!" he detested weakly, cowering backwards in fear. "You cannot do this!"

"I assume you end your turn then,"

Gustav didn't respond. The opponent sniggered as he drew his card. Though he didn't look at the cards because it was obvious how the duel would end…

"Lunaris Nebula Dragon, attack this whelp directly! Ionising Stream!" the enemy commanded. Gustav could only stare dumbfounded at the dragon like a sitting duck as the beam engulfed him and his Life Points trailed down to zero.

**Temperance Knight:**** 1000 **→ **0 (Life Points)**

**_: 4000 (Life Points)**

He tried to curse this disgrace like the sore loser he was. But he felt hollow – like his heart and soul was ripping out of his body. The V-Reality faded and they _returned_ to reality.

…

…

Kenji gasped upon seeing the figure and Gustav return in a shimmering light. What shocked him was seeing the defeated Gustav collapse onto the floor with a blank expression. He wasn't breathing. Kenji began to turn away and use his stealth to escape… But the voice of the victor scorned him.

"You might as well show yourself, eavesdropper. If you flee, I'm afraid you'll have to join your comrade,"

Kenji's jaw dropped. How did the person know that he was listening from behind the door? Regardless of his query he gave up and opened the door, revealing himself among the two invaders. He knew he was too old to run away quickly. And besides, Kenji could possibly bargain his life. "I'll let you escape and I won't report you if you spare me," he pleaded weakly.

"Actually, I will spare you if you report me to the Miami Police. I want the public to know of my existence," he said. Kenji could only nod grimly. "But don't worry eavesdropper. I will not strike you down as long as you keep the V-Reality system infected and you don't interfere with my plans,"

"I promise," Kenji chirped, gritting his teeth anxiously. The two figures walked past the broken man and departed through the door. Kenji sighed and glanced down at the remains of Gustav Schmidt. He then heard the voice of the hooded figure echo out the computer room.

"Oh. I've forgotten to mention something. My name is Reaper, the destined savior of this rotten world,"

* * *

_**AN: Once again, this Prologue was far longer than I expected it to be. Also, because of IRL reasons, I will not begin writing until the summer. Sorry for the inconvenience.**_


	2. Chapter 1: A Different Route

_**AN: And so after an long wait, Chapter 1 begins.**_

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Different Route**

* * *

Everyone in his family were regarded as _somebodies._ His grandfather contributed greatly towards the construction of Maiami City. His grandmother contributed to the invention of the new generation of duel disks. His aunts and uncles have travelled the world and have become professional Duelists. His mother and father was formerly a professional dueling couple, but have retired since reaching parenthood and have settled down into a more relaxed career path. Even the family members of the younger generation were semi-famous. His older cousins must have achieved something by now, while his younger cousins would have gained some attention from the public because of their cuteness or something. His twin sister, Yuuka Hashimoto, has won the Junior Terminal Cup when she was ten. TEN! She was additionally complimented as a prodigy in Maiami Secondary School and Leo Duel School before graduating. And then there was Yuuto Hashimoto, the... black sheep of the herd.

Not only has Yuuto never accomplished anything significant in his life, he is a complete failure in schools. The only reason he was accepted in LDS was because he was part of the Hashimoto Family, and even then it wouldn't have helped him if they knew he was a slacker beforehand. Without the surname, he's nothing.

"Oh sweet! I never knew I had Gearfried the Swordmaster among my _collection_ of cards," the white-haired and short fifteen year old boy, Yuuto Hashimoto, grinned madly as he picked up a card among the pile of cards he was buried in. He was for the sixth time this week reconstructing his Deck from stratch after his billionth Deck combination failed to win a single duel the previous day. Nevertheless, no matter how many times he failed, he kept trying his best to succeed his next attempt even though he knew he would still keep failing. His desire to make his parents proud was greater than the embarassment and dissatisfation he felt at the end of each day.

Sliding the card into his Deck, Yuuto then scrambled out of the large pile of cards he owned and got up. "Today is going to be the day that I surpass everyone and become the best Duelist ever!" Yuuto shouted to himself as he pumped his fists in the air and danced ludicrously. "JUST YOU WAIT WORLD! I WILL BE YOUR NEXT DUEL CHAMPION!"

"Yuuto, please calm down," an female voice replied from outside Yuuto's room. The door opened and an girl emerged. She had long white flowing hair with pink fringes and azure eyes. Unlike Yuuto, her attire wasn't plain. She wore an purple jacket over an red shirt, black stockings, white skirt and black. She additionally wore red lipstick and a bit of makeup. She was none other than Yuuka Hashimoto, Yuuto's twin sister.

Yuuto then clicked his tongue and turned back at his pile. He didn't really care about Yuuka's presence.

"If you need any help with constructing your Deck, you could ask me for help," Yuuka offered kindly. she then glanced back at Yuuto, noticing he was not aknowledging her existence while he still searched among the pile. "Hey Yuuto! Everyone needs to ask help when constructing their Deck at least once in their lives. Us Hashimotos are no exceptions,"

"I want to do it myself," Yuuto replied coldly.

"I see..." Yuuka sighed with an awkward pause. "... Classic Yuuto. You would rather fail one hundred times at an simple task than ask for help and accomplish the task with ease,"

"Thanks for the offer, sis. I just..."

The room went silence. Although Yuuto couldn't finish the sentence, he still continued searching through the cards. Yuuka sighed, trying to change the subject.

"Yuuto... I need your help with persuading mother and father with _our_ decision," Yuuka requested with an chirp. Ever since enrolling at LDS, Yuuka was always wanting to leave it. She just didn't like how people treated her and she wasn't too fond of Action Duels. An few months ago, she secretly applied herself and Yuuto to West Maiami Academy, one of the last standing Duel Academies that is well known for containing 'relics of the past'. Though her plan didn't work when their parents got an message yesterday from an man that went by the surname Okuyama, telling them that they have been shortlisted for the Entrance Exam.

"Why should I!? It was YOU that got ME in this mess!" Yuuto shouted, glaring fiercely at Yuuka with his hazel eyes. "This was YOUR decision! Not OUR decision! YOUR DECISION!"

"Come on Yuuto. Please support me," Yuuka pleaded with concern. "That's what siblings do for each other. Please Yuuto. Please..." she then opened the Deck Box attached onto her wrist and extracted an card out of it. "I will give you this card,"

"Fine..." he mumbled. Yuuto calmed down as he took the card and placed it in his pocket. He didn't look at the card not because he was lazy, but because he trusted in Yuuka that it will be useful. "You can go ahead. I'll catch up in a few minutes,"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

True to his word, Yuuto walked down the crystal spiral stairs within an minute of Yuuka's departure. The main room of the house was an very spacious, containing both an living room close to the entrance on Yuuto's left and an kitchen on Yuuto's right. In the living room, Yuuka and their parents were staring in awe at the TV while sat on an large black sofa. An brown-haired and brown-eyed man in a red tuxedo was shown sat by an brown desk, while an screen titled _'Maiami News'_ was shown in the background on a red and white concrete wall.

"_Sorry for interrupting your program. We have a national announcement," _the anchor-man apologised emotionlessly from the TV screen. The screen behind him changed to a picture of a man.

"That's one of my co-workers!?" their dad, Yuudai Hashimoto, blurted in shock upon recognising the picture.

"_Gustav Schmidt, an employee of V-Reality Corporations, was murdered last night,"_ the anchor-man informed blandly. Everyone among the family gasped in horror. _"Witness Kenji Yamada claims the murderer to be a mysterious man who goes by the alias Reaper. This criminal additionally hacked the V-Reality system. V-Reality Corporations President and CEO of the Asian Branch, Vladamir Romani, reassures that the problem will be dealt swiftly, but for now those testing the V-Reality software are prohibited from using it. This is Kichiro Nakano signing out,"_ the screen faded.

"Gustav Schmidt," Yuudai muttered the name once again in disbelief.

"Did you know him very well?" their mom, Yumi Hashimoto, asked him. Yuudai never really talks much about his job. That was probably because Yuudai didn't really want his friends and family to get jealous. He did have an high status as an Executive of V-Reality. Yuudai however shook his head.

"I don't know him _very_ well," Yuudai pointed out. "But because of my job, I do know a _few_ things about him. Schmidt worked originally in the European Branch of V-Reality but was dissatisfied after a year's work there, so he transferred here a month ago. Also from my meetings with the boss and other executives, I know that Schmidt had a keen interest in Kenji's job,"

"OK..."

"Well. I've got to go to work,"

"No!" Yumi shouted. "Did you just see what happened over there!"

"Of course, honey," Yuudai replied with an grin. "I can handle myself. Besides, the boss is obviously going to increase the security during nights. He doesn't want an second incident like that to happen. It would make him look bad infront of all the other CEOs,"

"But-"

"Just relax, honey," Yuudai interrupted. He then stood up and proceeded to walk away, but Yumi interjected.

"We still have something left to do," Yumi said, turning to Yuuka. "Yuuka, could you please explain the message from West Maiami Academy?"

"I want to enrol there," Yuuka informed, quivering nervously in anticipation of their reaction.

"But what about LDS? What about Action Dueling?" Yuudai asked, most shocked of the two.

"To be honest, I am not really passionate about Action Duels," Yuuka admitted. Yuudai and Yumi exchanged gasps.

"I honestly thought that you would follow in our footsteps as Action Duel orientated Professional Duelists," Yuudai said with a sigh. "But I suppose I should just accept that you want to go an different route. At least it is geared towards dueling,"

Yumi frowned at Yuudai's decision. "Fine. You can take the Entrance Exam and enrol at West Maiami Academy _if_ you pass,"

"Do you not think we are ready?" Yuuto retorted sharply.

"We will see," Yumi smiled. Yuudai then impatiently crossed his arms.

"OK then. Now that that's settled, can I now go to work in peace?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Despite the fact that Yuudai could've driven them there, Yuuka decided that she and Yuuto should walk to the destination. The area that they were going to be taking the Enterance Exam was inside the Town Hall because the Maiami Government gave them permission to use their area for the Enterance Exam. Though there was an long line of people in front of them.

"Hey! Yuuto! Yuuka!" a teen with red spiky hair and blue eyes greeted them. He wore an white t-shirt and black jeans.

"What are you doing here, Shadix!?" Yuuto asked with surprise.

"You know, since your both going to enrol at West Maiami Academy, I suppose I might as well enrol too," Shadix answered. "It would be boring at LDS without you guys,"

"And who told you that we were going to enrol at West Maiami Academy?" Yuuto asked.

"Why wouldn't I tell him, idiot!?" Yuuka shouted. "I basically told everyone this except you because you wouldn't want to be dragged into it,"

"Gee sis, I wonder why," Yuuto retorted coldly. Yuuka balled her fists in frustration.

"Break it up, guys!" Shadix shouted, jumping in-between them.

"Whatever. I might as well go with the flow and _want_ to enrol there. I'm going to pass the Entrance Exam!" Yuuto said confidently, pumping his fists in the air. Yuuka and Shadix stared at him like he was insane. "What? I've got it in the bag,"

"You lost to an Duel Bot on very easy difficulty," Yuuka replied.

"That was _ages_ ago!" Yuuto shouted.

"That was _yesterday_!"

"Good times," Shadix commented with an gentle smile and an passionate tone. He then looked ahead at the line. "Um guys... the line is clear. We should enter the building,"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Inside the building, they were directed to an row of benches nearby the entrance. After roughly ten minutes of waiting, one of the teachers walked from the edge of the room to the centre, holding an microphone. The teacher was an tall and slender man in his 50s with short black hair with grey areas and an curly moustache. He wore an crimson coloured blazer, black tie and black trousers.

"I would like to welcome you to the Entrance Exam. My name is Mr Satou, and I am in charge of managing the Entrance Exam," he greeted with an friendly tone. "Now then, lets get onto business - the rules of the Entrance Exam. You are judged purely on your skills as an Duelist. If you perform an advanced summoning technique or win the duel, your chances of passing increases significantly. Unfortunately, the highest Dorm you can get into is Ra Yellow. That is all, so let the dueling begin!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Evigishki Mind Augus and Evigishki Gustkraken, attack the him directly!" Yuuka ordered.

**Yuuka:**** 3000 (Life Points) **

**Proctor:**** 2800 →**** 300 →**** 0 (Life Points)**

"Dammit!" the Proctor cursed, while he punched the ground with his left fist. He was currently sitting cross legged on the floor. "Beaten by another kid," he muttered gravely, while facepalming. "Oh well, at least this one _actually_ is talented. I did redeem myself from my past failures by actually denting a talented Duelist's Life Points,"

"Um mister…" Yuuka chirped dumbfounded. "Did I pass?"

"Eh…" the Proctor responded sheepishly in surprise. His confused expression made it look like he had forgotten the entire reason behind their duel in the first place. "…Oh yes. Of course, Miss Hashimoto. You've passed with flying colours. I would have made you an Obelisk Blue if I could because you handed my rear," the Proctor then laughed while placing his right hand on the back of his neck. "But unfortunately, rules are rules. The best Dorm I can place you in is the Ra Yellow Dorm. But I'm pretty sure you'll advance into Obelisk Blue during the February Dorm Switch Exams,"

"Thanks," Yuuka smiled. She was about to walk away until-

"Wait!" the Proctor yelled. Yuuka turned around. "You used a lot of Ritual Monsters. So I suppose you graduated from the Ritual School,"

"No," Yuuka replied, shaking her head. "Me and my younger brother graduated from Leo Duel School. I... Would've personally preferred to have practiced dueling there,"

"Wow. we don't get many applicants from… over there,"

…

…

After seeing Yuuka's near perfect victory, Yuuto smirked. _'This is going to be a piece of cake,' _he thought. He was called into one of the dueling zones by Mr Satou. His opponent was an man wearing black sunglasses and has medium black flat hair. His attire consisted of a black blazer and black trousers.

"Welcome, kiddo," the Proctor greeted Yuuto, firmly shaking his hand. "You must be Yuuto Hashimoto. I am expecting great things from you in school,"

"Of course. I am part of the great Hashimoto Family," Yuuto replied, grinning smugly. The Proctor responded with a laugh.

"But haven't you forgotten kiddo, you've got to pass the Entrance Exam first. I'm certainly not a pushover," he beamed. Yuuto's grin immediately faded. "I'm pretty sure that you've been told the requirements to pass beforehand, so let's get down to business,"

"Of course, sir. I will give this duel my all," Yuuto smiled gently. He then grabbed his duel disk and attached it to his arm. His variant was an standard model with an black body and an orange blade. The Proctor's variant was an standard model with an brown body and an green blade.

"Duel!"

**Proctor:**** 4000 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 4000 (Life Points) **

"Since I am the Proctor, I will go first," the Proctor interjected. "I will start off basic by Normal Summoning my Fossil Dyna Pachycerphalo in Attack Position," the Proctor said as an skeletal dinosaur runt stomped onto the field with an threatening roar (**1200**/1300)(Level 4). "Just to let you know, while Fossil Dyna Pachycerphalo is on the field, neither players can Special Summon monsters. I end my turn,"

'_Time for me to prove my worthiness as a member of the great Hashimoto Family. My Deck will win me this duel and I will buzz through my four years at West Maiami Academy and pound the Pro League with all my might and become the best Duelist ever,' _he thought confidently with a smirk as he drew an card. He then looked at his hand… _'Ummm…'_ Yuuto's mind went blank with confusion. _'Oh yeah. I could do that and do some burn damage,'_ Yuuto's smirk then returned after formulating his strategy. He raised his head from his hand and strared fiercely at the Proctor. "I will Normal Summon my **Aerial Combatant** in Attack Position,"

An pillar of light appeared next to Yuuto. Emerging out of it was an soldier in sterotypical samurai armour dual wielding two katanas and equipped with an jet pack (**1400**/1300)(Level 4).

"Not bad," the Proctor commented.

"Not bad eh. We'll see. Aerial Combatant will prove to you his worthiness! ATTACK!" Yuuto ordered as the jet pack activated and the soldier chaged, slicing straight through the enemy. The skeltal dinosaur moaned as split into pixels.

**Proctor:**** 4000 →**** 3800 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 4000 (Life Points) **

"YES! I end my turn. It's your move!" Yuuto roared enthusiastically with pride.

"Is that all, kiddo?" the Proctor asked, with a tone of disappointment in his broad voice.

"Wait. WHAT!?"

The Proctor couldn't help smirking. "You only summoned a fairly weak monster and ended with that. Where's the flair that Duelists like you deliver? You know, performing an advance summoning mechanic or even spamming an army of strong monsters. I was expecting for an Duelist of your calibre to bypass Fossil Dyna Pachycerphalo's effect and go ham on me. Hell you didn't even set an Spell or Trap,"

"Spell or Trap…" Yuuto muttered as his eyes widened. _'Dang it! I knew I forgot something when I was constructing this Deck!'_

"For someone from the great Hashimoto Family, I am disappointed. I guess I will have to show you how to duel _properly_. I draw!" the Proctor shouted. "I will Normal Summon my **Giga-Golem** in Attack Position,"

From out of nowhere, an pile of rubble fell onto the ground. Eventually, the rocks levitated and merged into an giant golem (**1600**/1800)(Level 4).

"It's got more ATK than my Aerial Combatant!" Yuuto shouted in fear.

"There's more where that came from, kiddo. You see, I activate the effect of my Giga- Golem: by discarding an monster from my hand, it gains ATK equal to half the monsters DEF, until the End Phase of my turn," the Proctor explained, waving an Revival Golem in his hand. He steadily inserted it into the Graveyard of his duel disk. A red aura formed around Giga-Golem (**1600→****2650**/1800). "With Revival Golem in my Graveyard, I can use it as some fuel for my next move. I can Special Summon my Gigantes from my hand by banishing 1 EARTH monster in my Graveyard,"

An red giant with iron armour emerged onto the field wielding an log (**1900**/1300)(Level 4).

"I'm screwed," Yuuto realised.

"Oh yes you are," the Proctor grinned with an sparkling glimmer. He then raised his arm and pointed directly at Yuuto's drawfing monster in an exaggered manner. "Giga-Golem! Lay waste to Aerial Combatant!"

"No," Yuuto murmured weakly. The pile of rubble rolled into a ball and flattened even the flying warrior with its long radius. The shockwave crashed into Yuuto, staggering him backwards a couple dozen centimeters.

**Proctor:**** 3800 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 4000 →**** 2750 (Life Points) **

After regaining his balance, Yuuto exhaled a couple of deep breaths before raising his left arm and clinging his right finger onto an card in his hand. "Upon destruction, the effect of my Aerial Combatant activates: by discarding an Warrior-Type monster from my hand, I can inflict half its ATK to your Life Points," he explained, scanning his hand for the strongest monster to utlise as his fuel. "I select Dododo Buster," Yuuto said within an minutes silence. He slid the card into the Graveyard, to which two dimension holes surrounded the Proctor to his front and back. An storm of bullets rained down upon him.

**Proctor:**** 3800 →**** 2850 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 2750 (Life Points) **

Despite this, the Proctor felt near to little pain, which was unusual considering it was still possible to feel some degree of pain from taking damage because of the Solid Vision. "An small dent in my Life Points does not compensate for the large dent that's going to be bashed at your Life Points," he replied nonchalently.

"Large dent?" Yuuto replied puzzled. His gaze then diverted to Gigantes, to which his reaction was nothing more gasp. "Oh no,"

"Oh yes," the Proctor smirked. "Gigantes! sic 'em!"

Before Yuuto could even react, the giant red ogre charged up to him and lunged the giant log onto his chest, knocking him five meters onto the ground in a thud.

**Proctor:**** 2850 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 2750 →**** 850 (Life Points) **

"Get up, kiddo." the Proctor said. Within half an minute, Yuuto slowly got up with his head low. He was stunned with the Proctor's superior tactics, restrict what he can do turn one and hit him hard turn three. "I am still not done. I activate the Field Spell Card, Catapult Zone."

Suddenly, the outside world changed in a blind of an eye as the Proctor slammed the card in the appropriate slot. They were now dueling in the woodlands. To Yuuto's left was an colossal yet heavily damaged castle. To Yuuto's right were two catapults and an squadron of soldiers prepared for war.

"This is our battlefield, kiddo," the Proctor informed with an smirk. "Although it would've been interesting for me to have activated it during the beginning of my turn to enhance the entertainment of the Battle Phase, I just didn't really feel like getting everyone's hopes up,"

"What!?" Yuuto replied in shock.

"Oh nothing," the Proctor lifted his shoulders up and shrugged. "I end my turn,"

"Alright then..." Yuuto muttered in an attempt to calm down as he glanced down at his duel disk. He then looked at Giga-Golem and noticed that the red aura was gone from it (**1600**/1800), due to its ATK boost possibly have ended during the Proctor's End Phase. "It's time for my counterattack. I draw," he said clearly to the Proctor as he drew his card quickly and brashly. He somewhat smiled at the outcome. "Oh hey! It looks like I do have an Spell Card in my Deck!" he exclaimed, remembering that Yuuka gave him a card during the morning.

_'I assume your Deck is still poorly structured,'_

"Firstly, because I control no monsters while you control monsters, I can Special Summon my Dododo Buster from my hand in Attack Position," he smiled as an golden armoured viking stomped on the field whielding an large mace (**1900**/800)(Level 64). "However, if he is Special Summoned this way, his Level becomes 4,"

"Well, well, well. That's some monster you've got here," the Proctor complimented, readjusting his spectacles upon gazing at the semi-solid stats.

"There's more where that comes from. I activate my Monster Reborn," Yuuto said, revealing the Spell Card before placing it on his duel disk. "I am sure that I don't need to explain the card, right? I Special Summon the monster I discarded via the effect of my Aerial Combatant, another Dododo Buster!" he explained as an identical viking leaped onto the field out of an black hole (**1900**/800)(Level 6). Despite Yuuto's overenthusiam at summoning two solid beatsticks in one turn, the Proctor couldn't help chuckling, throwing Yuuto off guard.

"You realise you could've Xyz Summoned an Rank 6 Xyz Monster, right?" the Proctor informed. "If you Special Summoned your Aerial Combantant and tributed it for the Dododo Buster in your hand, you would've Special Summoned the Dododo Buster in your Graveyard and they both would've been Level 6 for Xyz Summoning. Not bad, but I am a little dissapointe-"

"That's because I don't have any Xyz Monsters, or even any Extra Deck Monsters for that matter," Yuuto interrupted. The Proctor's jaw opened in astonishment.

"But... how. How can an member of the _great_ Hashimoto Family not have access to Extra Deck Monsters!?" the Proctor replied, somewhat losing his cool. "I'm very dissapointed!"

"That's because..." Yuuto said softly, lowering his head. "... I aim to be independent from my family's aid. Although I suck at constructing Decks, I can happily say that I worked to get every single card in my Deck. And that's what matters most to me," he explained. He afterwards he gently plucked an card in his left hand to his right hand. "Besides. If I did what you said before, I would've wasted my Normal Summon and not have access to this..."

In the middle of the two vikings, an pillar of fire erupted from the ground. It dissipated and an black caped female warrior in red armour appeared in its place, firmly placing her left hand on her sheathed sword (**1200**/1900)(Level 4).

"This is my Command Knight, the centrepiece of my Deck to an certain extent. Her effect makes all Warrior-Type monsters gain 400 ATK," Yuuto explained as an red aura formed around all of his monsters (**1200→****1600**/1900)(**1900→****2300**/800)(**1900→****2300**/800). "So are you feeling confident that you are still going to be an threat after this battle,"

"Lets see then," the Proctor replied, unfazed by Yuuto's army of monsters.

_'How is he still confident? He has no set cards to protect himself,' _Yuuto though, carefully analysing the Proctor's side of the field. "Whatever! Dododo Buster number one, attack Gigantes!" he ordered as the viking charged at the giant with its mace. The giant retorted by swinging with its log, but the viking broke through it with the mace and smacked it in the head.

**Proctor:**** 2850 →**** 2450 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 850 (Life Points) **

The giant remained.

"The effect of Catapult Zone activates: once per turn if an monster I control would be destroyed by battle, I can send an Rock-Type monster from my Deck to my Graveyard," he explained, searching through his Deck and placing an selected card into his Graveyard before it reshuffled. Suddenly, the Proctor's Deck glowed: the catapult's fired at the castle, and the debris crashed onto the Proctor's side of the field. The colour of the rock suddenly turned grey and an muscular humanoid figure emerged from within the rock in an croutched position (100/**2100**)(Level 4). "I triggered the effect of the card I sent to my Graveyard via the effect of Catapult Zone, Revival Golem: when he's sent to the Graveyard, I can either Special Summon him or add him to my hand. It's an no brainer for what I selected,"

_'I am in an tough situation,' _Yuuto thought, gritting his teeth. _'I have got to make some risky moves in order to get rid of some monsters,'_

"Dododo Buster number two, attack Gigantes!" he ordered as the second viking emerged from behind the giant and smacked it on its neck, destroying it once and for all. The giant's corpse crashed onto the ground, and the terrain faded away.

**Proctor:**** 2450 →**** 2050 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 850 (Life Points) **

"Command Knight, attack Giga-Golem!" Yuuto shouted. The knight unsheathed her blade and charged towards the pile of rubble aggressively. She slashed the golem at one fell swoop, whom exploded vigorously, taking them both down. The two vikings sighed as their strength dropped slightly (**2300→19****00**/800)(**2300→****1900**/800). For the first time this duel, the Proctor actually seemed impressed.

"I never expected you to sacrifice one of you monsters to take out two of mine. It's quite an risky tactic considering your Life Points are low," the Proctor commented.

"I am willing to take risks," Yuuto replied. "Anyway, its your move,"

"OK then. I draw," the Proctor said, swiftly drawing his card. He then grinned with satisfaction. "Hmm... this duel was fun. But like all duels, it must end. I can banish 2 Rock-Type monsters in my Graveyard to Special Summon Gaia Plate the Earth Giant in Attack Position," he explained, ejected up two cards out of his Graveyard (Giga-Golem and Gigantes) and throwing them away before proceeding to slam an new card onto his duel disk. Pieces of the ground separated from the crust and rose up into the sky to meld with each other. Eventually, an colossal golem bigger than anything Yuuto has ever seem before was formed, crashing down onto the ground in a devastating thud (**2800**/1000)(Level 8). Both Yuuto and his monsters failed to endure the tremor of the ground. "Gaia Plate the Earth Giant, attack one of the Dododo Busters and end this duel!"

"No!" Yuuto wimpered. The giant slammed its fist onto the ground and the viking (**1900→****950**/800) along with Yuuto were lauched into the air by the unstable ground. He shortly collapsed onto the ground while his Life Points trailed down.

**Proctor:**** 2050 (Life Points) **

**Yuuto:**** 850 →**** 0 (Life Points) **

The holograms faded and Yuuto fell onto the ground in shame. The Proctor approached Yuuto, fiercely towering over him and casting a large shadow.

"I deem you unworthy to even wear a red shirt," the proctor declared, maintaining his stoic demeanour while crossing his arms. "Even though I like your fighting spirit, rules are rules. You were not at the standard I set. Sorry kiddo but you fail. Better luck next time when you can next apply again during the New Year, If you would even consider that,"

The Proctor then departed from the area where they were dueling to chat with his co-workers by the stands in order to pass some time for his next duel. Yuuto meanwhile stayed lying on his back as he gazed at the ceiling dissatisfied upon his defeat. He was going to look like an idiot when he shows his face among his friends and family. He boasted to them that he would pass with flying colours and prove to them that he was more than Yuuka's naïve brother.

Oh how wrong he was.

* * *

_**AN: At the end of every Chapter, I will show every debuting Custom Card. The only exceptions are cards that haven't shown off their effects (such as the Prologue's cards), in which case they will appear when they next appear.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Aerial Combatant (WIND)**

Level 4

[Warrior/Effect]

_When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can send 1 Warrior-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard, then inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to half the ATK of the monster. _

(1400/1300)

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Giga-Golem (EARTH) **

Level 4

[Rock/Effect]

_Once per turn: You can send 1 Rock-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard, and if you do, this card gains ATK equal to half the DEF of the monster, until the End Phase. _

(1600/1800)


End file.
